Chevron Australia Pty Ltd announced that it received environmental approval of its Wheatstone Project by the Western Australian Minister for the Environment Bill Marmion.
“We welcome the State Government environmental approval for the Wheatstone Project and we look forward to a timely environmental approval from the Federal government,” Roy Krzywosinski, managing director of Chevron Australia said in a company statement.
Chevron is seeking approval for a 25 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) and domestic gas plant, along with associated offshore infrastructure.
The foundation phase of the project will consist of two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 8.9 MTPA and a domestic gas plant. A final investment decision on the project is expected within the year.
Chevron Australia said the environmental assessment for the Wheatstone Project is the result of extensive research, engagement with communities and government agencies, and contributions from independent experts.
The plant site is located in the Western Australian State Government’s Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Area, approximately 12 kilometres south of Onslow on the Pilbara coast.
Melody Meyer, Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production Company president said the Wheatstone Project "is set to become one of Australia’s largest resource projects delivering energy, jobs and economic benefits to Australia.”
The Wheatstone onshore foundation project is a joint venture between the Australian subsidiaries of Chevron (73.6%), Apache Energy (13%), Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company or Kufpec (7%) and Shell (6.4%).
In July, Chevron announced that its Australian subsidiaries have signed binding Sales and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) for the delivery of LNG from the Wheatstone natural gas project.
Under the agreements, Chevron, together with Apache Energy and Kufpec, will deliver up to 3.1 MTPA of LNG to TEPCO for a period of up to 20 years.
Chevron Australia is a significant investor in exploration offshore northwest Australia. The company leads the development of the Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas projects and operates Australia’s largest onshore oilfield on Barrow Island, as well as the Thevenard Island oilfields.